Frozen Fate
by Cysha
Summary: A full story of what happened between the two Kiddy Grade series. This will be a full account of what happened in between. I thought it wasn't well explained in Kiddy Girl and-, so I'm now expanding on the ideas presented. Hope everyone enjoys! Note: Having trouble stringing chapters together so they flow. Maybe a rewrite? I'll try to work on this soon. Thanks.
1. Chapter 1

Frozen/Fate

_Many threats have been made towards the planet Azulantia. Azulantia, composed of the gravity control medium know as Hi-G, a very explosive material, would put the galaxy in grave danger due to its explosive nature. Fortunately, the ES teams of the GOTT, as well as many space fleets, have been sent to protect and monitor the planet at all times. Yet the GU and GOTT are doubtful that such attack can be avoided, but perhaps the explosion can._

"Éclair."

The young woman, yet young only in appearance, looked up at the Chief. They sat on the bridge of the La Muse, more formally, the Calliope. Eclipse was there to pilot the ship nowadays, so she and Lumiere usually sat in the back, ready to jump on Donnershlag at any given moment.

"Yes, Eclipse," she said quietly, her tone melancholy.

"I can bring the Calliope to your house if you…need to say goodbye. Before we leave orbit."

For a moment, Eclipse was worried that Éclair would refuse, that Éclair would be too heartbroken if she saw Che again. Before she left to a mission like this one. But Éclair stood up, pulling at her dress, and walked towards the hatch.

"Thank you, Eclipse. I'll be quick."

Eclipse smiled sadly as the hatch opened, and Éclair stepped out into the fresh grass of the well-kept yard that belonged to Éclair's son, Che. They were not related by blood, but they were just as close as any mother and son. Éclair cared for him deeply. Leaving him would not be easy. Eclipse turned to Lumiere. The two were concerned for Éclair. Her ties to her son were important. Lumiere and Eclipse had no family. They had no one to say good-bye to. Eclipse wasn't sure which was worse.

Éclair walked along the yard, towards the quiet white house. Her boots crunched on the dew covered grass, the day was cloudy, and there was little sun to dry the lawn. The house before her was simple, yet beautiful. It was an old house, farm property really. With long, grassy hills, fences covering the perimeter, even mountains in the distance, a stable in the back. Beautiful. The house itself had a blue roof, while the rest was white. There was a small porch, on which Che enjoyed reading out in the cool weather. She could see him now, with his book, sitting peacefully, absorbed in his book. The breeze blew softly, rustling the trees. She now stood before the porch, looking up at her son. Perhaps for the last time.

There was a lump in her throat, tears about to spill over. She swallowed hard and blinked rapidly. She took a moment to compose herself, and then she smiled.

"Ta-dah!"

He looked up, mouth open in surprise.

"Mother," he stood up, placing his book on the table, walking forward to see her. "I thought you were on mission today. What's the occasion?"

Éclair closed her eyes. What to tell him? That she was going on a mission that she might not return from? A mission that protected a secret that could put the whole galaxy in grave danger? That this might be the last he saw his mother?

"You know…I just wanted…to see you. You know, I…"

"It's okay, Mother."

She brushed hair away from her face with her gloved hand. She tried to maintain her composure. She didn't want to frighten Che, but she could barely keep herself from sobbing. She wanted to be sure he would be okay. She wanted to say good-bye without really telling him good-bye.

"Take care, Che."

He looked startled, and she knew he could sense something was wrong, but he didn't ask. There wasn't anything to ask. She smiled at him the best she could.

"Mother…?"

"Éclair!"

Éclair turned when she heard Eclipse's voice. Eclipse stood with Lumiere outside of the Calliope. Eclipse and Lumiere had apologies written on their faces, from what she could see, but there was no need. She knew it was time to go. The all knew.

"It's time," Eclipse said quietly. Eclipse regretted tearing Éclair away so soon, as did Lumiere, but they Éclair would come. They took their job seriously. All of them. Even at a time like this.

"We have to hurry," Lumiere called, as if she was trying to explain why she and Eclipse were taking Éclair away from her son.

"I know," Éclair called, trying to tell them in her voice that she forgave them. The job wasn't easy for any of them. Even if it was especially hard for her.

Éclair turned back to Che, her eyes closed, once again blocking the always-threating tears. Che couldn't see her crying, it would only make it harder for him in the long run. She had to be strong.

"Fine…ES members need to protect the galaxy and everyone's future after all." Éclair found she was trying to convince herself of that fact more than anything. That it was her duty to leave her son, to protect his future, and everyone else in the galaxy. Maybe her statement would explain to Che why she couldn't stay. Why she couldn't come back. She waved good-bye, trying to remain strong as she turned and walked away.

"Mother! Éclair!" She heard him cry behind her, as she continued to walk away. She heard him running after her, his feet trampling the grass in his attempt to catch up to her. This caused her to stop, to listen, which she shouldn't do.

"What is it, Che?"

"Come home."

Éclair's mouth opened, then closed. She smiled sadly, and tunred around. She looked up at him. The sad smile was still on her face.

"One day, Che. But today…I have a mission."

He lowered his hand, which was upraised as if in attempt to keep her from leaving once again.

"Of course, Mother. Good-bye."

"Good-bye, Che."

He nodded, and returned slowly to the house. She turned towards the ship and Lumiere and Eclipse. This was for him. This mission was to protect his future even if hers was not. The three women stepped into the ship. The ship would be their home for a while, where they would protect the planet until the inevitable happened. An attack on the planet Azulantia.

Eclipse sat down at the helm. Wirbelwind's A.I. screen popped open as the ship started up. Lumiere tapped Donnershlag, alerting him to go into standby status, to be ready the instant he was needed. Éclair sat down in the back, sighing. She looked out of the window, down at the house, as the ship began to rise from the property, and shot upward, towards space. Perhaps it was the last time she saw him. As the ship rose into space, the cool darkness around the ship, Éclair braced herself for the mission to come. She hoped her efforts would not be in vain. She would save the galaxy's future.


	2. Chapter 2

Frozen/Fate

Azulantia was well-populated. The planet originally needed very little terraforming to remain habitable. Many people still lived down on the planet. Luckily, the population was not terribly large, and evacuation plan was already in place, so if need be, everyone on the surface would be safe from attacks. They could easily evacuate to space at the slightest indication of an attack.

The mining of Hi-G was still continuing, and was still in-progress. Even though the planet was dangerous, there was no reason to just let it sit and wait for an attack. It was agreed that the planet should be used, even though it was feared. There was no reason for the Hi-G to go to waste. Even if an attack came, it was best to salvage some Hi-G before such a disaster. If an attack came through, Hi-G could be the survivors' best friend.

The Calliope exited warp right before the planet. Already, many military and evacuation ships were on standby around the planet. The planet seemed calm and harmless. A bomb without a fuse not yet lit. A gas tank, with flames crawling towards it. A sleeping dragon.

"Here we are," Eclipse said, putting the ship into standby mode. "This will be our home for a while. Planet Azulantia. We will stay here and protect this planet, as long as the mining project continues."

"Thanks for coming with us, Chief. We're glad to have you out in the field, protecting the planet with us," Éclair said. She walked over and tapped Donnershlag's head, letting the robot know that they had reached their destination.

Eclipse bowed her head.

"You're welcome. I'm glad to be of help, rather than to sit by in my office. It's an honor to serve once again as an ES member. Too long have I been the great untouchable chief of the GOTT. I need to be out here in a duty like this one."

Éclair stared out the viewscreen at the planet. The planet was extremely beautiful, but it had a grace to it, an almost Earth-like quality. But deep down, Éclair still felt the foreboding feeling she'd had since the mission had been announced.

A screen popped open on the main viewer, disrupting Éclair from her thoughts.

"This is Tweedledee and Tweedledum, reporting in on the C-square. The Salyut has arrived with us, Chief," Tweedledee said on the screen.

"Acknowledged, C-square," Eclipse answered.

The screen shut off without another exchange of words. No one was optimistic of their mission, and no one felt like talking any more than formal exchanges.

Éclair sat down in her seat at the back of the bridge. She, Lumiere and Eclipse had a long mission ahead of them. Whether it turned disastrous or not, it wasn't exactly exciting to monitor a planet constantly. For a while, they were going to be bored. Éclair was okay with this. Boredom was nothing. Plus, perhaps she could even use her spare time to do a subspace call and talk to Che…

Another screen popped open on the viewer. Eclipse looked surprised. No other ES team had been stationed at the planet. Three ES teams had been sent –Éclair's team, along with Eclipse, as well as Un-oh's team, and Tweedledee's team. Sinistra and Dextera along with Cesario and Viola, were performing the GOTT's other duties. The GOTT's battle space fleet was sent in as well. But no one else.

"ES members Armbrust and Macredi reporting in on the Siegerum, Chief Eclipse," Armbrust said from the bridge of his ship. "I know I don't report to you, but the Global Union decided to send in some old friends of the GOTT. We're the only GU ES team sent in, and our primary duty is to monitor all of you as you monitor the planet. But we've brought in a bulky battle space fleet of the Global Union's for your trouble. I figured I should report to the flagship of the GOTT ES unit, since the Chief is on board."

Eclipse smiled warmly.

"Send the Global Union our thanks. You might want to explain to the GOTT space fleet why you're here. But, I thank you for joining us, Inspector."

Armbrust nodded.

"I was happy to. I wouldn't want to miss out on an event like this," Armbrust smiled in only the way he could, smiling even when faced with suffering. "Siegerum out."

The screen clicked shut. Eclipse leaned back in her chair. She sighed heavily. She finally turned around and looked back at Éclair and Lumiere.

"Girls, we have a few long days ahead of us. But we'll pull through." Eclipse stopped for a moment, and looked at the two. She remembered, over 200 years ago, when she'd met them, the two brave young women who faced her, a renegade woman with the most powerful G-class ability. Back then, people had referred to her fearfully as "The Kvant". Only Éclair and Lumiere had faced her. She'd nearly killed them with her powers, but the two were hardy. They survived, nearly beat her, and they became a team through the centuries that had passed. The three of them would make it. "We always do. Remember, when I first met you two…"

/

It had been a few days since their arrival. They'd done there normal monitoring of outgoing and ingoing ships, as well as scans of the surrounding space, but they'd also passed the time discussing the memories of their past bodies. It had become fun, almost for the three, talking. About the good memories, of course.

"Éclair, remember when you had a crush on Franz? You know, the doctor?" Lumiere asked, poking Éclair playfully.

"I did not. We were friends. He liked to joke around that we should have gotten together, but he didn't mean it."

"You know you like it, Éclair," Eclipse said smiling.

"I did not! He was kinda funny…that's all. Friends. Nothing more."

Lumiere and Eclipse looked smug. They both shook their heads disbelievingly.

"It's true."

"Lumiere, remember the day we christened Wirbelwind? We were building her vessel, and you finally awoke her within her quantum computer?"

Lumiere smiled at Éclair.

"I remember that day. All three of us. Greeting Wirbelwind once again when we recreated her A.I. into the quantum computer. This began the La Muse, Wirbelwind, and the Wirbelwind network."

"Of course, you do remember back even longer ago, before Wirbelwind, we had Donnershlag. He was happy to have an A.I. friend."

Eclipse smiled.

"We love our A.I.'s. I think one of Lumiere's most cherished moments has to be the day we made the Wirbelwind network. I'd never seen her quite so happy."

"It was a great day for me. And our "children." Do you both remember, back in the early days of GOTT? Right after we joined, we rescued Armbrust as a small child?"

Eclipse laughed.

"Oh I remember that. When Éclair saved him from those bullets."

Éclair rolled her eyes.

"Some days I wish I hadn't. But yes, I remember that. Cute little kid."

Lumiere and Eclipse covered their mouths, giggling.

"What? What?"

"Do you maybe think that same way now? About…Armbrust?"

"He's not a k-. You mean…? NO! No, I do not think that way about Armbrust. EVER! Cut that out!"

"Awfully defensive, Éclair," Lumiere said calmly. "You can't have him anyway, it's obvious he's with Macredi."

"I don't WANT him!"

"Franz, maybe…"

"NO!"

"Remember, before Éclair's memories were erased, you two remember Maryann and Bran, right? The two C class ES agents?"

"Oh yeah," Éclair said, relaxing a bit. "Those two. They were good friends. But after what happened…Remember when Che was a baby? Back before I rejoined the GOTT? When I was a surrogate mother for Che?"

Lumiere nodded.

"Yes. You even left the ES to take care of him. You wanted your own son so badly, so you decided to care for Che. It was very kind of the Global Union to reincarnate Che for you. I remember the second Che baby. I got to see him more."

Éclair, Lumiere and Eclipse were silent for a moment. Thinking about their past lives. Thinking about the future. Eclipse finally turned back to the viewscreen.

"Well, we might as well get back to work. We should have dinner in about an hour from now. Let's continue with the routine scans."

The three went back to work. For the past few days, it had always been like this. Eating, talking, working, sleeping. Those four in a constant cycle. It wasn't really boring. They had grown used the routine. Always checking. Waiting. Always careful. Always watching.

But they were starting to feel a little more comfortable with their task. No disaster had struck. The mining project had been a success so far. They were confident. The three of them would be fine. They had been, through countless difficulties. They would make it again.


	3. Chapter 3

Frozen/Fate

It was not the _Calliope _who spotted the attacks first. Instead it was the _Siegerum_, sitting back a ways from the other ships, off to the side, releasing cameras into the surrounding area, keeping records of the ES members guarding the planet. Armbrust and Mercredi were at the helm of their ship, checking the records. Boring work, and as auditors an ES members, they'd been doing this exact kind of thing for 50 years, so it wasn't exactly…exciting. They were both fairly bored. There was no warning. But suddenly, quantum conversion laser bombs flew seemingly out of nowhere towards the planet, violently rocking the _Siegerum_. The bombs hit the planet, and slowly the planet changed from a calm earthy green into an angry yellow-orange.

Eclipse, sitting at her chair at the _Calliope's_ helm watched a screen open in front of her, revealing a shaken Armbrust. Eclipse looked at the screen calmly, but she had seen the first wave, and she could see the planet, it was all she could do to keep from panicking.

"We have a problem," he began.

"I know. I know," Eclipse open a channel to all of the ships. "Everyone, the planet is currently under attack. Everyone, get to your positions. Began evacuations. Defend the planet!"

Tweedledee's voice came over the channel.

"The planet's defense systems have already been taken into the hands of the enemy. We cannot bypass them! The planet is defenseless, inside and outside! Prepare to take attacks from the planet itself."

"Acknowledged," Eclipse responded. The planet was under heavy fire. All types of quantum conversion attacks hit the planet, slowly igniting it's surface. The planet was defenseless, even as the GOTT fleet fired back. Eclipse gritted her teeth, the responding attacks from the fleet was not doing anything to make the planet less vulnerable to attacks.

"We must protect this planet, even if it means using our ships as shields!" Eclipse yelled. GOTT cruisers could take some damage. They would be shaken up, but maybe they could stop some of the attacks from making contact.

The ES members began their suicidal protection tactic. The ships purposefully maneuvered themselves to get in between the attacks and the planet. The ships shields became drained, they took severe damage, it was hard not to get injured inside. And it was futile. But at least it was buying them some time. But as Eclipse piloted the Calliope straight into the path of fire, she knew that planet was going to explode. The Hi-G was already ignited, it was some time before all the chain reactions caused the explosion. There was no way to stop it. And there was nothing she could do. Nothing but buy more time with the _Calliope._

/

Éclair and Lumiere felt helpless as they watched the other ships take damage, and Eclipse and Wirbelwind pilot the ship protectively around the planet. With Eclipse and Wirbelwind piloting and doing all the work on the ship, there was nothing for the two of them to do.

They both felt bad. But Éclair could not stand being helpless. Éclair and Lumiere stood at the back of the bridge, trying not to fall over, when Éclair thought of something.

"Lumiere, we need to go down to the planet. Maybe…maybe we can go down there and find a way to do something. Plus, we need an ES team down there to see what's going on. We can take Donnershlag and go see."

Lumiere looked at Éclair in the eye. Éclair looked back at her hard. They both knew what it might come to. Lumiere gave a slight nod. She then called Donnershlag, and they went bellow the _Calliope's_ bridge. Down there, they boarded Donnershlag.

"Ready Éclair?"

"Ready, let's go save the galaxy. Donner's ready, too. Let's head out."

/

The ship shook around Eclipse terribly as it tried to withstand the oncoming attacks. She braced herself as another laser rammed into the _Calliope's _elegant hull. A screen popped open before her.

"Eclipse."

She opened her eyes and looked up at the screen. Éclair and Lumiere were seated on Donnershlag, who stood on top of the _Calliope_, on top of the dogfight bridge. They sat under the protection of the ship's shields, away from enemy attacks. Eclipse had a bad feeling about this.

"We'll go down to the planet."

She looked into their faces. They watched her calmly, the two of them always ready for a mission. She didn't want to lose either of them. But she had a feeling that she might be about to. She looked up at them, putting all of her emotion into her words.

"Éclair! Lumiere!" She looked them in the eye, her own eyes worried. They watched her calmly, the two of them always ready for a mission. She didn't want to lose either of them. But she had a feeling that she might be about to. She looked up at them, putting all of her emotion into her words. "You two…don't die."

"Of course," she said softly. Lumiere smiled gently at her Chief, Lumiere always remaining elegant, in even in a time like this.

"You take care of the rest then," Éclair said cheerfully, trying to smile under such pressure. She was reaming strong, like she told herself to do.

With a command from Éclair and Lumiere, Donnershlag lifted from the _Calliope_, igniting his own engines, and turning on his own shields as he left the protective egg of the _Calliope's_ shielding. He headed downward to the planet.

/

The citizens down on the planet were continuing with evacuation processes; however people in the command center of the orbital platform were still attempting to take back control of the planet's defense systems.

"Do you copy? This is a GOTT ES member," Tweedledee said. She had been ordered to call up the people in the command center. "Someone is bombarding the planet with quantum conversion attacks. At this rate, the planet may explode. I ask that everyone evacuate immediately! Do not continue with your efforts. Your lives are important. We will handle the rest."

So, the evacuations continued for everyone, citizens, miners, and command. Meaning that there was no hope for anyone to remain alive on the surface anymore. That there was no hope of stopping and explosion.

But it was true. The attacks were getting worse, not better. The Hi-G was reacting as it was supposed to – extremely dangerously. Already, the planet was littered with remains of destroyed ships of the fleets, ripped apart of quantum conversion attacks. There was little hope left.

/

The _Siegerum _moved in towards the planet. The two Global Union ES members onboard had continued recording everything through the whole mess. Not one scene from the violent space battle was missed by their cameras. But as the attacks worsened, as they watched lasers falling from everywhere, ships ripped apart, people killed…

"Mercredi."

She looked over at her partner.

"Yes?"

"I'm going down to the planet," he stood up, walking past their seats, and he lifted Black Box.

She stared back at him, shock on her face.

"Why? It's too dangerous. The planet's about to explode at any minute."

"No, we still have time. Besides, I can't watch this anymore. I'm going down to help Éclair and Lumiere out. I'm tired of just sitting by. No one will even be alive if this thing explodes. Our camera work won't matter if we don't assist the other ES members."

Mercredi lowered her head.

"I won't let you," she said quietly.

"Please. You know I'm right."

She was silent for a moment. She knew he was right, that this time, sitting back and watching through cameras wasn't going to do anyone any good. They were worthless as they were. They needed to help out.

"Okay. But I'm going with you."

This time, it was him that looked at her frightened.

"No. I don't want you going down there. I need you to pilot the _Siegerum_, and help the other ES members in space battle."

Once again, she knew he was right. She needed to pilot the ship, help the other ES members in that regard. Yet she did not want him to go down. Not alone, at least. But it didn't matter. She needed to stay up here and keep their ship intact in battle.

"Fine. But please, be careful. Don't get hurt."

He smiled at her.

"Thank you. Stay safe up here."

Armbrust exited the bridge, leaving Macredi alone. On top of his ship, he lifted off, heading down towards the planet, past the destruction around him.

Macredi sat at her console, alone on the ship. She sighed shakily, and put her hands on the controls.

"Armbrust…"

/

Another enemy wave of attacks exploded above the planet. The fleet and the ES members were desperate. They seemed to be making no progress towards beating the enemy, but the enemy was making progress in destroying the galaxy.

"We must defend this at all costs!" Tweedledee screamed, moving the C-Square in the path of another wave.

"You don't need to tell me that!" Un-oh responded, as the Salyut flew directly into the path of a cascade of lasers. A-oh gritted his teeth, as another wave of bombs flew past the ship, and towards the planet.

Another wave of bombs flew towards the fleet, and kept going. They flew through most of the fleet, tearing the ships to bits, greatly adding to the mess of broken pieces of ships. A quarter of the GOTT and GU fleets were wiped out after that 52nd wave of enemy bombings. As the bombs hit the planet, the planet turned from an orange, to a bright yellow. So bright, that the planet lit up the surrounding space like a star. The Hi-G had reached its final stage of reactions. The next reaction would be the explosion of the planet.

"Oh no," Tweedledee cried. "If this planet explodes, this universe is done for!"

"We won't let that happen!" A familiar voice cried.

"Éclair!?" Tweedledee cried.

"Éclair!" A-oh called out, as in warning.

There was no response.

/

"Lumiere, you stay on Donnershlag on this end of the planet. I'll head down to the orbital shaft, and give you my report of the planet's surface. Then, when I give the signal, depending on what I see, we'll either try to neutralize the Hi-G or we'll…" Éclair stopped. The two of them, going into the mission, knew what they may be forced to do.

Lumiere, nodded, understanding.

"Go. Be careful, Éclair."

"Thanks, Lumiere," Éclair said, as she stepped off Donnershlag, and headed to the other side of the planet.

/

Éclair began her careful decision down the orbital shaft. She looked around in the gloom warily, knowing that each orbital shaft had internal defenses, and these had been taken into enemy hands. She looked over, spotting the first two lasers, which were followed by many more lasers. Maybe more than she could handle. They all fired at once. She performed a fancy leap, dodging the lasers, but just barely. She leaped again and again as they fired, and she tried to look for an opening to get past them. She swung her hand outward, calling up her Power.

"Haaaaahhh!" She yelled, and the lasers were broken to bits by one swoop of her energy.

More lasers behind her. They fired, and she barely avoided them. She was never going to get to the bottom in time. Not like this. But suddenly, they exploded. She looked up in surprise. Unbeknownst to her, Armbrust had followed her, knowing she may need assistance as she went down lower on the planet, knowing from his cameras that that's where most of the defense systems were. She watched with surprise, as the auditor used a power of his own. He attacked the defense systems with his own ability, Black Box, the box itself having guns of its own. With a full swipe of Black Box ammunition, the defenses were destroyed. He lowered Black Box.

She smiled at him, trying to show her gratitude. Thanks to him, maybe she could get down in time to stop the explosion.

"Thanks!" she cried, and turned downward quickly, heading towards the planet's surface. If she could just get down there in time…

Armbrust watched her descend. He felt good, suddenly, for helping Éclair out. Hopefully, she would be safe down there. Behind him, laser cannons dropped, aiming directly at him. He had missed a few, or maybe they just hadn't been activated yet, but they were there. They fired. Armbrust heard the noise of them firing, he turned just to see a wall of hot red light coming down towards him. His eyes winded and his mouth dropped open, in fear. It was too late for him to do anything, not even to try to raise Black Box as a shield. The laser light crashed into him, throwing him backwards from the impact. Black Box itself was charred and ton by the lasers, ripped open in some places. Armbrust wasn't much better, unconscious and wounded internally and externally. He lay floating in the space within the orbital platform, while the battle still raged above.

/

The starboard flex feather was long gone. _Calliope's _shields were completely down after taking so many hits. The beautiful ship was damaged and battered. Whole sections of the out hull where torn. The dogfight bridge had a whole in it. Eclipse herself was badly shaken, and injured in some places. She sat at her station, breathing hard.

She saw another volley of lasers heading towards her. She didn't avoid them. No time. No point. Impact. The port flex feather was ripped clean off. She heard a loud _BOOM _and the ship rocked violently. That was when the ship went down. Engines went offline, lights flickered, and then went out, artificial gravity turned off, and Eclipse felt herself begin to float slightly.

Wirbelwind flashed violently, and then the screen closed. Eclipse bowed her head. The _Calliope_ was no more. With one blast. Just an empty shell of a ship. Wirbelwind was still within the ship somewhere, and the ship could be repaired, but Eclipse could see no point. She probably wouldn't survive long anyway. The planet below her was in bad shape. She moved from her dark console, and she left the ship. Eclipse felt that lying in a useless broken ship wasn't a good idea. She decided to help as much as she could in orbit without the ship. Eclipse stood on top, and looked at the planet. She left the ship, stepping off and floating into space.

"Well. Be seeing you Wirbelwind" Eclipse called, as she moved away from the ship and loyal A.I. inside. Éclair and Lumiere would be very upset when they saw their ship If they ever did. Eclipse pushed the thoughts away, and continued away from the ship.

/

Lumiere, on the eastern side of the planet, was having trouble of her own. Attacks were bombarding that area, and Donnershlag's shields were now completely down. Éclair still hadn't given the signal, because she hadn't yet reached the western side of the planet.

A laser beam shot out, slicing through Donnershlag. Lumiere screamed as she felt the heat of the laser that just barely missed. She looked down at Donnershlag, one of his eyes cracked, and part of his arm and body destroyed. The seat around her was partially melted from the laser. More attacks followed that one, pelting Donnershlag. Lumiere was surprised he could hold up under the fire. Him and the planet.

"Please, hurry up Éclair."

/

Meanwhile, Eclipse received a transmission from Mercredi. The screen popped open in front of her. She looked at Mercredi on the screen. She looked scared, maybe even in pain, and she was rubbing her hands together quickly.

"Have you seen Armbrust?" Mercredi asked quickly.

"No, I haven't. Is something wrong?"

"No. Yes. No…I don't…I just have a bad feeling. Can you find him? I tried to send him a transmission, he didn't answer. What if he's hurt?"

Eclipse sighed.

"I'll go look for him. Do you know where he might be?"

"He was going to help Éclair."

"I think he's in the orbital platform then. Éclair sent me a message saying she was going down there. I need to check on her anyway. I'll go find him. Keep up with your ship."

Mercredi nodded rapidly.

"Yes, yes. Of course. Thank-you. G-good-bye."

"Good-bye, Mercredi," The screen closed. Eclipse shrugged and headed towards where Éclair had been last seen.

Eclipse battled her way through the darkness of the orbital shaft. With her Kvant ability, maneuvering her way through the platform wasn't difficult at all for her. Attacks couldn't even get past her shield of quantum energy, and she could blast back at will.

She was about halfway down, when she spotted Armbrust. He was floating in the zero gravity, limp and unresponsive. Right away, she could see his charred clothes and burnt skin. Black Box was heavily battered. Eclipse quickly grabbed him.

"Oh no. Armbrust…Don't tell me you're…" She remembered the assault of lasers that she had encountered when moving down the orbital shaft. She checked his pulse, and put her fingers over his lips. "Well, you're breathing. If not for long. Let's get you out of here. I think Éclair will do fine without my help."

Eclipse slung one of Armbrust's arms over her shoulder, and she grabbed onto it. She balanced his body against her back, and she picked up Black Box. She exited the orbital shaft, and into space. That was when she heard the transmission.

/

During all the commotion, Éclair had reached the bottom of the orbital shaft. She looked downwards. She gasped with quiet horror. Below her feet, the whole planet was ablaze. It hurt to look at. The Hi-G was about to explode. It was slowly and visibly pulsing with energy. There would be no stopping it. No one could stop it but her and Lumiere.

"To everyone that can hear. The Hi-G is about to explode. At literally any moment. There will be no stopping it. The chain reaction is almost complete. Lumiere and I are going to have to - ,"

She bowed her head with determination and braced herself from what she was about to do.

"Don't do it Éclair," Tweedledum called. "If you do…"

"I know," she answered quietly, knowing everyone understood too.

/

"That's right," Lumiere called over the transmission.

"Lumiere!" Tweedledee cried.

"If we both use all our powers, we should be able to…" She too braced herself, acknowledging what had to be done. The enemy had ceased fire, but it was too late. Éclair's report was correct, and they didn't have much time.

She slowly lifted off Donnershlag's broken hull, her boots leaving the comforting feel of her guard robot. She stopped and looked back at him. He lay broken in space, already seemingly lonely. There was not time to get him out of the way. He was going to go with them in a way, but at the same time, she was going to have to abandon him. She would not be seeing her A.I.s for a long time now. She and Éclair were going to have to leave those they called their children, in order to save the galaxy.

/

Éclair floated right above the western side of the planet, Lumiere over the eastern. The two of them warned everyone to get as far from the planet as possible right away, after they unleashed their powers. Éclair concentrated on pulling her power within herself. Space was energy and it was matter. She focused on freezing the very energy of the space around the planet, while Lumiere, began to freeze the matter that was the planet itself. They closed their eyes, freezing space and time. Éclair and Lumiere glowed like a star, their hair flying outward as their powers were unleashed.

Eclipse stood on the outer hull of the _Siegerum_ the closest ship that could pick her up and bring her to safety once the space and time of the planet were frozen. Armbrust hung loosely in her grasp. She held Armbrust against her and watched Éclair and Lumiere use their greatest powers.

"Éclair, Lumiere," she said softly. Had she just lost them forever?

Just as the planet was about to burst apart, Éclair and Lumiere released the powers they had been holding, creating an enveloping field around the planet. The ships in orbit moved away from the planet at top speed, as the field filled space and froze.

Éclair and Lumiere were closed within the field quietly waiting for release. One that may never come. But they had saved the galaxy. For now, it was all they needed.

/

Eclipse called Mercredi to an abandoned and heavily damaged space station floating a few miles off from the planet. The _Siegerum _docked, and Eclipse met up with her in the first room. There were windows facing the planet, giving Eclipse a good view of the disgusting thing.

Mercredi walked in.

"Eclipse…" she began, but she didn't finish, because she saw Armbrust. "A-armbrust? ARMBRUST!"

"Mercredi…" Eclipse set Black Box down. "He was helping out Éclair. Thanks to him, we saved the planet before it exploded. Imagine those precious seconds he bought. He must have been hurt by the lasers in the orbital shaft."

Mercredi bit her trembling lip.

"Let me see him."

Eclipse lay him down in her arms. She leaned down to her knees, Armbrust's head resting in her arms. She looked down at him. Tears spilled over her lashes.

"Armbrust! Get a hold of yourself!" She screamed. "Armbrust! Armbrust!" She looked down at Armbrust fearfully, crying freely.

Eclipse looked down at her sadly. Eclipse felt as though she had failed in some way, now that many people were hurt, and her two best friends, the other two G-class ES members, were now locked away inside the field surrounding the planet. She turned, looking out the window towards the planet in the distance, frozen and foreboding, pieces of destroyed and broken ships floating around it. She closed her eyes. She felt a strange fear overcome her, one that was for the galaxy, but most of all, for the fates of Éclair and Lumiere.


	4. Chapter 4

Frozen/Fate

Eclipse left the _Calliope_ in orbit. She could not bring herself to go and try to retrieve the ship. She felt it would be wrong somehow, for her to take Éclair and Lumiere's ship from them, even though they were in no state to use it. She could easily take it back to Aineias and repair it, but, somehow, it was theirs, and she couldn't take the ship with her. Donnershlag was on the other side of the planet, and she didn't look for him, either. He was still functioning, and she knew the A.I. would wait for Éclair and Lumiere.

Only a very small portion of the GOTT fleet came in to the planet's outer orbit to escort what was left of the ES members and fleet. Eclipse watched the ships arrive, and wondered if the incoming ships were all that was left of the fleet. Medical ships also arrived.

Eclipse had been sitting in the abandoned space station with Mercredi and a slowly dying Armbrust for nearly an hour. When the ships began to arrive, Eclipse straightened up and looked out at the incoming ships.

"Mercredi, call a medical ship over here to take Armbrust. We can take the _Siegerum _home."

Mercredi jerked, and looked up at Eclipse, as if brought out of a spell. "You can take the ship home. I-I'm riding with him."

Eclipse just nodded. "That's all right. I'll bring your ship back."

She stood up, and walked out of the room, as if unable to get out of there fast enough. Now that what was left of the fleet had arrived, she had work to do. She needed to talk to her superiors, and get the GOTT back together. They needed to be ready for a new enemy. And of course, she had to start organizing rescue missions for Éclair and Lumiere.

At the docking bay, she boarded the _Siegerum, _and sat down in the seat Mercredi usually sat, the place equivalent to the one she sat at on the _Calliope._ Eclipse carefully piloted the ship from the docking bay, determined to reach the GOTT headquarters, and begin her work. She joined the other ES team's ships in orbit. There was no sign of any attackers, she noticed. Space was silent and peaceful, but the broken ships and frozen planet said otherwise. It was strange to her. It was as if the attacker only wanted to see the planet explode, and when that didn't happen, they fled. Eclipse shook her head. Right now, her job was to get the GOTT to regroup. Then they would figure out the means of counter measure.

Eclipse opened a screen to Tweedledee and A-oh's ships. They revealed quiet ES members, looking deeply shaken, but unhurt. That was what she needed.

"Report."

It was A-oh spoke first. He, of all the ES members, was the best able to maintain his composure in a catastrophe. "The _Salyut_ has taken severe damage. We will need to complete repairs, but we can still warp in this condition."

"Same for us," Tweedledum added. "Sister here, she's all right, she needs rest though."

Eclipse nodded. "Yes, we've all seen a great deal just now. However, we need to be on top of things. Any sign of enemy ships?"

"None. W-we were unable to pick up any data during the attack either," reported Tweedledee, who seemed to be struggling to remain calm, unlike the others.

Eclipse felt a sight surge of frustration. How could one enemy give such an attack, yet leave not a trace of information for her ES members and their fine ships to find. Especially during such a battle, as the one they'd just taken part in. But Eclipse simply bowed her head, accepting the ES member's report.

"I understand. Perhaps another ship can give us more data. But for now, we need to head back to the GOTT, and begin operations as normally," Eclipse saw a protest in the eyes of her ES members. "Yet. We will work on this problem of saving Éclair and Lumiere. I will see all of you back at headquarters. Eclipse out."

Eclipse sat still for a moment at the helm of the _Siegerum_. Then, she sighed and started up the ship for warp. As the ship entered warp space under the escort of some of the fleet ships, Eclipse silently promised Éclair and Lumiere that she would return for them.

/

Eclipse returned to her office in the GOTT headquarters. She always loved her office, decorated with elegant carpets and furniture, fine paintings on the walls, plush curtains hanging by the sides of the windows. She had always loved the view from her office, a bird's eye view of the city of Kolkia; with her office being at the very top of the GOTT building. But now, as she sat down in her famous seat at her desk, things seemed different. Dreary somehow, with knowing of Azulantia frozen deep in space, locking away her two closest friends.

She tapped her fingernails on her desk. She thought of the first order of business – calling the head of the GU, to inform him what had happened. She opened a security line to the GU superior. For a few minutes, she received no response. She sat for those few anxious minutes, desperately hoping for a quick response. Then, the screen flashed, and his face appeared.

"Superintendent General. I have…urgent news."

The man on the screen nodded, either he had heard already or he hadn't, but he certainly wanted to hear Eclipse's report, and she knew it.

"Yes…about Azulantia…" he said, prompting her.

"The mission…I can't say if it has succeeded or failed. If it had completely failed, I would most certainly not be alive, and depending on the reaches of the explosion, you probably wouldn't be either. But we have survived. However, most, ninety percent, of the GOTT's fleet and over half the Global Union's fleet have either been destroyed by the enemy or…frozen."

"Frozen?" Perhaps he hadn't heard yet, or at least not all of it.

"Yes sir. Two of the GOTT's most finest, I will say _the _finest, ES members have been lost. Éclair and Lumiere, the two G-class ES members, besides myself. They are not dead, however. The two of them unleashed their full abilities, all their power at once, and froze time around the planet, minutes before an explosion. We cannot retrieve them at this time."

Eclipse finished her speech, and was silent, as was the Superintendent. After a moment he looked up at Eclipse.

"So they're frozen. We don't know exactly who attacked the planet?"

"No sir. We were unable to find any leads."

He sighed and sat still for a while. Eclipse waited patiently, staring down at her desk.

"Well, I'll give your report to the rest of the officials in the Global Union. Eclipse, you are to tell no one, by no one I mean civilians and people in the lower ranks of the GOTT, of this incident. Any more reports? The other ES teams?"

"Cesario and Viola, as well as Sinistra and Dextera, were not present during this incident. I have yet to give them a report. Un-oh and A-oh and Tweedledee and Tweedledum were present and participated in the battle. They are okay; however, their ships are currently in repair as of now. Two of your, or should I say the GU's ES members, Armbrust and Mercredi were also present. Mercredi's fine, but Armbrust was severely injured in the battle. I believe he's in the hospital right now. Éclair and Lumiere, of course, are frozen."

"Thank you, Eclipse. I'm sorry about Armbrust, but make sure Mercredi brings in the reports from the cameras. They weren't just sent in as ES members, but as auditors. Mercredi should have camera feed to go along with your report. But one more question, Chief. From your opinion. Can we make it without our two G-class ES members?"

Eclipse stared off into space for a moment. Éclair and Lumiere were very valuable. It was hard enough on the GOTT when Éclair lost her memory, forcing her and Lumiere to be downgraded to the C-class. Now, in a time of a crisis, they didn't have them at all. Would they be able to stand up to such an enemy as the faceless one they were facing now, without their G-class members?

"I frankly can't answer that, Superintendent General. We may be able to get by, but we really need them. I guess we can find a way to manage, but if we're facing new threats…I don't know. I would vote for a rescue attempt."

"I understand, Eclipse. Thank-you for your time. We will consider rescue attempts, because I really think you're right. We need them. That will be all."

The screen closed, leaving Eclipse alone in her office, which was slowly growing darker as the suns sank. She realized she was still dressed like an ES member; she hadn't replaced the outfit she used in the field for her office one. She wondered if she'd continue to work as chief, or if she was now going to be acting as the sole G-class member. She wouldn't mind being out in the field more, but she wanted to continue organizing the next steps the GOTT was to go through.

But for now, she felt as though she should take a break, and continue the rest of her duties the next morning. It was then that she realized, that before she was to call it a night, she had one last unpleasant duty to perform, one final message to send. Slowly, she reached forward, and opened another communication channel on her desk, the screen popping up before her face. On the screen, a young man appeared. She knew she at least had to tell him, even if it went against her bosses wishes. He was Éclair's son after all.

"Hello, Chief Eclipse," he said.

"Greetings, Che. I have some…unpleasant news that I think you need to hear."

His eyes immediately grew worried. "Is it mother?"

Eclipse closed her eyes. "Yes Che," she said gently, like speaking to a child. "Your mother."


	5. Chapter 5

Frozen/Fate

How was this possible? That was her first thought when she became aware.

She knew, instantly what had happened. There was no sense of lost memory, though there was some slight disorientation and confusion. She knew she had just saved the galaxy, by bending space to freeze time around a slowly exploding planet. She knew also; that she should at least be exhausted from using her full G-class power all at once. But there was no exhaustion. There was no sense of how much time had passed. Perhaps they had frozen the planet not moments ago. Maybe it had been a few hours, or days since freezing the planet. Perhaps she had been frozen for years. Maybe she was about to be _unfrozen_, for all she knew.

But, it had to be impossible. She should not be awake and aware; she should be frozen in time, unconscious to her surroundings. There wasn't much of a 'surrounding' either. She could not see the planet or ships she had frozen together. She could look down and see her own body, but she felt nothing. She could think, feel and see, but her other senses received nothing. She wasn't hungry or cold or tired. If anything, she seemed to be in a limbo state of some sort, where time and space did not really exist.

She soon became aware of something else, Lumiere was with her. She could see Lumiere, floating in the vast nothingness they had created when freezing space. She looked over at Lumiere, who seemed to be awake, also, calmly trying to understand her surroundings. Éclair did not call to her, instead, she waited for Lumiere to notice her, and for Lumiere's elegant analysis of the situation. In time, Lumiere turned towards Éclair, and met her eyes.

Éclair spoke first. "Lumiere. Do you have any idea…?" Éclair didn't need to continue.

"Éclair, I'm sure my opinion is the same as yours. We don't know what happened, exactly, but somehow when freezing the planet in time; we created a sort of space for us to exist in a conscious state." Lumiere seemed as clueless as Éclair, yet her more carefully constructed statement seemed to create a reasonable explanation to what had just occurred.

"Looks like it. I can only say it wasn't voluntary on my part to create such a space."

Lumiere nodded. "Mine either. For some reason, this…bubble where in was perhaps necessary. Our G-class abilities control themselves to a point."

"Do we have any idea how long we've been here?" Éclair knew Lumiere couldn't give her any answer only a guess that was good as any of hers.

Lumiere thought for a moment. "I can't say. I guess we can assume this existence was created the moment we froze the planet, and we can also assume we became conscious very shortly after we arrived at such a sate. We may have a long time to wait, if that's what you're asking."

"I guess you're right. We may become pretty bored very soon."

"Perhaps so."

There was no room for any more commentary on their current situation. They didn't know how or why or where they were. They floated in silence. Éclair's mind drifted in and out of different states. Sometimes she found herself attempting to figure out what she was doing wherever she was. Sometimes she was bored, sometimes she was a bit frightened. But soon, she began drifting into the deepest part of her mind. The part both loathed and treasured. Her memory.

/

The memory was fuzzy, as it was nearly as old as she was. She was nearly three hundred years old by now, and the memory wasn't much younger. But it was there.

_She was a young girl, only twelve years old. Her schoolgirl outfit and quiet smile belied a true nature. She was always cheerful and brash, smart and outgoing. But there was something about her that you would not know even if you came to her personality for what it was. Her POWER. It was what she dubbed it. From younger than five, she was able to manipulate the energy in her body, like it was a piece of clay. Very useful for surviving out on the streets in Star Century 0097. Just because hummanuty was reaching for the stars, expanding to the stars, didn't mean everything was all peace and understanding, as they say. No, at a time like this, her ability was more than appropriate. _

_Once again, she was running. She loved running. She could run fast, without feeling a hint of exhaustion for, theoretically, miles. She was running through a dim hallway. A cyborg blockaded the hallway, firing mindlessly. Cyborgs had not been perfected yet, they were bulky and stupid, though powerful. Its powerful gold beams shot from its armor, creating a dangerous roadblock. But not for her. She leaped into the air, ceasing her run, and flying gracefully farther than any other twelve-year old girl. During her leap, she simultaneously dodged each beam, and her fist flew out. Her fist feel toward its head, its source of energy, crushing the cold metal inward. She completed her leap, hitting the ground with a knowing smile. Behind her, in a chain reaction caused by the main power source being damaged, the cyborg exploded. She stood, unhurt, and continued on. _

_Fights like these were routine for her. She enjoyed destroying things with her power. Not to mention things like the cyborg, which would only bring trouble to her and got the payment she needed. She had no family, and she cared for no one else, but where she lived, it didn't matter. It was all about survival. Destroying the cyborg troops that were sent in for various small wars that broke out would mean less trouble for her, not to mention payment for her various employers, exchanging money she could use to clothe and feed herself for a quick punch at an enemy's defenses. For her, it was not politics, but survival. _

/

Éclair's mind snapped out of the memory. It had been so clear for a moment, Star Century 0097, with her early fight for survival using her unique ability. She looked down at herself, reminding her that she was centuries and bodies away from her young self in Star Century 0097. By looking over at Lumiere, she saw that she seemed to be in a trance similar to the one Éclair had just experienced. Éclair found herself wrestling with an unsettling thought. Was this it? Was this going to be her existence, falling in to memory? She didn't know for how long she would be able to bear this existence.


	6. Chapter 6

Frozen/Fate

It was barely dawn when Eclipse arrived at the hospital. The hospital was small, but very fancy and high quality, because it was exclusively for ES members. Even without patients, the hospital was always kept open, often for research on encoding and ES member abilities. Eclipse knew the doctors well, because, being in charge of encoding ES members, she often went to the hospital to simply add to their research, in order to improve encoding results.

Eclipse walked in through the front doors, and walked down the hallway to the treatment facility. ES members, when injured, were brought there, often to receive nanomachines treatment. Eclipse had been informed that Armbrust had been brought there. When Eclipse arrived in the treatment facility, she noticed that Armbrust was indeed receiving nanomachines treatments. Mercredi stood nearby, staring at him through the glass, as though she expected him to suddenly recover and wake up. Eclipse watched for a moment, wondering if she should say something to the unmoving Mercredi, but a doctor approached her.

"Chief Eclipse," the doctor said.

Eclipse turned. "Good morning, Doctor. I came to see how they were doing."

The doctor looked over at them. She shook her head. "The girl, Mercredi, she's physically okay, but I imagine she's worried sick. Not to mention, when checking on the other ES members that came here last evening, seemed shaken. She is too. But may I ask…is something going on?"

Eclipse shook her head. "An…incident happened, so I imagine my ES members were very shaken up. Some, as you can see, injured. But… otherwise, it's confidential. I'm sorry. I'll talk with Mercredi in a moment, though, to see if she's okay. I must ask though, what's Armbrust's prognosis?"

"It's obvious he was hit hard, by lasers of some sort," she said. "While he may not seem extremely damaged on the exterior, it's internal damage I'm worried about. You see, those lasers, well, so to speak, they basically…cooked his organs.

Eclipse made a face.

The doctor corrected herself. "Not cooked in the way you would think. But burned or overheated from the inside out, well that's what happened. We have him on nanomachines treatment right now, which will keep him alive while we try to find a way to fix this kind of damage. Because this will very quickly kill him."

"Nanomachines alone won't work?" Eclipse asked.

"No," she replied. "They can assist us, but they won't work alone. We need to induce quick cell growth in his tissues, but fast. We're working on means of facilitating this treatment. But like I said, it needs to be fast, and if he makes it through, don't expect him to go rushing out into the field again."

"I understand." After a moment Eclipse asked, "I must also ask…is there a chance, well, a high chance he won't make it through?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Any number of things could go wrong, and the damage may be severe enough, that his body just isn't strong enough to make it through. Which brings me to my next point. I don't think Mercredi should stay here during this. It will only make it harder."

Eclipse shook her head. "I will talk to Mercredi, and she still has duties as an ES member, but she may come and go as she pleases. I will not stop her from coming here. But thank-you. I appreciate your work."

The doctor nodded. "You're welcome."

As the doctor walk off to continue her work, Eclipse calmly walked to Mercredi's side. Eclipse knew she had to be as gentle as possible with her, or Mercredi could get angry fast, and it would only make Eclipse's job harder. She had to approach her with caution.

"Mercredi. I've spoken with the doctors. They're trying their best to make him well. I've informed your superiors of what has happened. If you wish to remain based on Aineias, you may. You may work with the GOTT ES force in recuperating and saving Éclair and Lumiere. But I will allow you to spend time here if you wish, until he has recovered. As of right now, I want you to get some rest."

Mercredi did not speak at first. Then, she slowly turned to Eclipse. "I understand," she said, her voice hardly above a whisper. "But I want to stay here."

Eclipse bit her lower lip, trying to find a way to be gentle but firm. "Mercredi, I won't argue with you. You may stay here. However, there may come a time when you will be ordered to leave. I will be lenient as this time, because I know this is hard. But you need to care for yourself, as well. You need to be ready."

Mercredi balled her hands into fists at her sides, and Eclipse thought she would argue, but she didn't. "I understand," she said once again, but with more force. "I will be ready. But not right now. I need to stay here for a little. Just to see the treatment begin. Then I'll work as your ES member."

"That's perfectly fine. Mercredi, I will ask, when you get the chance, please send me the camera feed from your ships. It will help with the Global Union's investigation of the incident," Eclipse paused, and then lowered her voice. "On a personal matter, Mercredi, I've lost two very special people to me. I understand your pain, on a different level. I'll do everything in my power to get all of them back."

Eclipse began to walk off, but she noticed Mercredi smile slightly and nod. Satisfied, Eclipse continued out of the building. She would allow Mercredi some time for now; she deserved some. She knew Mercredi well from her time of having Mercredi as her assistant. She knew that Mercredi was intelligent and hard-working, but she also deeply loved Armbrust. For that, Eclipse gave her time. Mercredi would get back on her feet when she was ready.

/

All of the GOTT ES members were crowded into Chief Eclipse's office, crammed together on the couches, staring over at Eclipse, sitting behind her desk. Eclipse had just given them a full briefing of the incident, including that Éclair and Lumiere were lost, the destruction of the planet had just barely been averted, and that the people who had caused such destruction were still at large.

"Basically, we're at a loss," Eclipse said. "The planet threat has been neutralized, yet we've lost our best agents, Éclair and Lumiere. We have absolutely no idea who our enemy is. We've lost most of the entire GOTT space fleet, as well as the GU's. We are nearly crippled, and with such an enemy out there, we are in considerable danger."

"How could this have happened? Was no one there fighting our enemy?" Dextera asked.

"A good question. Most of the ships were simply protecting the planet. I must admit, though the galaxy wasn't destroyed, we lost that battle. It was a mess. We were protecting the planet with the ships, though it was in vain, and thus, we never found who we were fighting in the first place."

Many ES members shook their heads in disbelief and disgust. Such a powerful and dreadful opponent, yet bad battle strategies had left them without a bit of insight on their attacker. Eclipse was upset and frustrated herself, but gave no indication of that to her ES members. She had to be cold and tactical or nothing would come out of the meeting.

"Now," she began once more. "As you know, with Éclair and Lumiere gone, Dextera and Sinistra are our top ES members. They will need to hold the front lines if our said enemy ever shows itself. Tweedledee and Tweedledum were the top ES members from the battle, besides Éclair and Lumiere who are no longer present. They will be in charge of anything related to that battle."

The ES members were quiet. Already, they were wondering about Éclair and Lumiere. Rescue plans. The battle theyhad just witnessed proved that they needed the two G class ES members in such an advent. Finally, verbal questions began to arise. Eclipse herself wanted nothing more than to save Éclair and Lumiere herself, and it was now obvious her ES members shared her concern.

"Yes, it's true. We need them, and trust me; I've been thinking the same thing. In the coming days, I'm certain we can plan a means of saving them. If we can save them. It may be we can't save them without causing another explosion. It may be that we can't unfreeze them at all. But. We will make attempts. I would appreciate suggestions on how to go about this. I will also begin to work with my superiors on permission for a rescue plan. Dismissed."

/

It was then that Eclipse realized how vehemently she wanted…needed her friends to be free. She wanted to get right down to solving the puzzle of Éclair and Lumiere's rescue. How they would unfreeze them. How they would do so without setting off the planet. Eclipse made that her top priority. She would do all that she could to unfreeze the lives of Éclair and Lumiere.


	7. Chapter 7

Frozen/Fate

_Star century 0130. She was nearly fifty years old. Well, technically. The term ES member was fairly new. ES members were people who had evolved and adapted in space, thus losing their purity as earth-born humans. They were used mainly by scattered governments, and large organizations, as a sort of powerful secret police force; due to their powers these forces usually consisted of only two or three people. She was one of the elusive ES members. She worked mainly for herself, going from organization to organization to different governments, offering her services. She'd long since been implanted with special nanomachines that enhanced her ability and gave her powers from survival in a vacuum to stopping her aging process. Thus, she was permanently frozen to the age of twenty. Thanks to experience, training, and nanomachines, she had become truly powerful. The world was still rough; it was the best tool she had to survive. People feared her. She liked that. _

_Her long hair streaked out behind her. She had let it grow long as time passed. The outfit she worse was a bit skimpy, but sporty, allowing her to move quickly and gracefully towards her targets. She ran, her boots pounding down the hall. She had just made the assignation she had been ordered to perform by her latest organization. A mission success. Now, to just escape the building before she was caught…But there was no need to worry. She never got caught. Her hand flew out in front of her, and she made a wide wave of her hand, using her Power to smash everything in her way. Her body slammed into and through the window, just as the top floors of the building exploded from the effect of her attack, and the window shattered around her. She fell forward from the building, a glorious escape, a grin on her face, and she sailed downward, landing, unhurt, onto the ground stories below. Safe, she ran off into the night. _

/

Éclair's eyes opened. Another memory. Not long ago, she had been in a constant battle with herself over her memories. Now, she was reliving them all again, more clearly now that her existence was that in a frozen time bubble. She felt a sudden and desperate urge to get out, to be free of this new existence. But she couldn't. She was stuck with her memories. There was no escape.

/

_Star Century 0137. She was now an official ES member, and she was over fifty years old now. She still had the appearance of a young woman, but she had allowed herself to age a bit, and her red hair was cut short. She wore an on-duty outfit now, her official ES member uniform. She still patrolled the streets at night, securing the area, but she no longer worked only for herself. She had a purpose now, a duty to people's protection. She had a life that was not all about survival, but responsibility._

_However, one odd night changed her. She was on patrol once again, as she usually was at this time of night, the moons high in the sky. She was walking past the dim alleyways, where she usually found trouble. But, she was seeing no sign of any disturbances. She soon, however, heard the sound of crying coming from a dank alleyway. She peered forward, seeing a small form lying in the dark. It was a young girl, no older than ten, with short brown hair. Éclair felt a strange motherly instinct within her, and somehow, somehow, she felt she needed to protect that little girl._

_/_

_She lay in the dark alleyway, forgotten by the trash bins. She was cold and lonely, shivering and crying. A piece of cardboard had been pulled over her, but she found it gave little warmth. She wore only a thin, white dress, and even her feet were bare. She'd been an orphan for as long as she could remember in her young life. She had no family, but she longed for one. For someone's protection. It was then, that a light fell over her. She closed her eyes, hoping she was in no danger. Even if she was, it wouldn't matter. She was too weak to run, anyway. She turned her head away, trying to find some calm, yet she continued to sniffle. A shadow fell over her, and she opened her startlingly blue eyes. She looked over._

_A young woman stood at the entry way of the alley. She wore what was commonly recognized as an ES member uniform. She had short red hair, and her gold eyes glowed in the lights behind her. She bowed her head slightly, and gave a gentle smile. She felt suddenly comfortable and unafraid of this young woman. _

_It wasn't long before she was wrapped up in the long cloak the woman was wearing. Her cloak was warm, and she finally felt a comfortable relief from the constant plaguing cold she often had to endure. The young woman turned out to be indeed an ES member, and she felt she could trust this peacekeeper. The woman leapt from rooftop to rooftop, carefully transporting her a long distance. She was amazed by the ES members power. She never knew she could fly like this, warm and safe._

"_Who are you?" she finally asked. She knew her title, but not the woman's name or why she was here._

"_Éclair," the woman answered, calmly. "Just Éclair."_

_She thought that was an odd name for the woman; she'd never heard of a name like that before. "Éclair? That's an unusual name."_

_The woman, Éclair laughed. "So I've heard."_

_Éclair took a sudden high leap into the air. She didn't know if it was from Éclair's strange name, or simply from the joy of the flying sensation they both felt as they flew through the air, but they suddenly began laughing. They laughed hard, both feeling carefree and happy in the night._

_/_

Lumiere found herself trapped in an endless cycle of memories just as Éclair. She couldn't say they didn't bother her, because they did. She didn't know how she would be able to bear an eternity of this, if it came down to it.

_/_

_The young nameless girl joined her often during her travels. The girl though, eventually took on the name Lumiere, a French word, like Éclair. It was soon discovered, that the young girl had a power of her own. She seemed able to communicate with machines somehow, even bring them under her will. An odd but useful power. She was still at the time, considered too young for mass ability-enhancing nanomachines implants, so she was not made an official ES member. But thanks to her ability, she was considered to be an ES member in training, thus was allowed to accompany Éclair on missions. _

_Éclair found her to be very useful on missions, but more than that, kind. She was a sweet young girl, fun to be around, and she truly needed Éclair's company. They formed an odd little team, but they managed. They would be a great and powerful ES team one day. Éclair just knew it._


	8. Chapter 8

Frozen/Fate

Eclipse stared at the papers scattered over her desk. It had been a month since the Azulantia incident, and she had received nothing but silence from her superiors when it came to rescue attempt possibilities or permission. In fact, she hardly had been receiving any word at all. She'd sent her ES members on scouting missions to the planet, formed possible rescue plans, but no acknowledgment came from the Global Union. She was now thinking along the lines of taking action herself, a move that almost would be considered rebellion on her part. But she was becoming flustered. Time was wasting. Time she couldn't afford to lose.

She picked up a paper noting that the letters she had received looked like good news; many had a Global Union official stamp on them. Yet, she was dubious to the thought of there being anything of use to her. The last month had proven that true so far. As she suspected, as she began to read through the papers, most of them were little updates or concerns she usually received, though these were of a darker nature, considering the circumstances. Many were about complaints from the Nouvlesse or notes about the lack of ships taking a toll on GU performance and power. Things she'd been hearing for some time now.

She found a paper that did not have a GU stamp on it, and interested, she unfolded the paper and began to read.

**NOTICE FOR CHIEF ECLIPSE OF THE GOTT**

**Patient: Armbrust**

**Status: S-class ES member. **

**Ailment: Severe laser injury to internal organs.**

**Treatment: Mechanically induced rapid cell mitosis. **

**Treatment Status: Successful.**

**Patient Status: Patient is not yet conscious. Organ functions normal.**

**Overview: Patient was brought to hospital thirty days ago. Had extensive damage to interior, moderate damage to exterior. Internal organs dangerously overheated/damaged. Complete organ failure imminent. Patient was given nanomachine treatment to postpone organ failure. Long term solution/treatment was mechanically induced rapid cell division (mitosis). Damaged cells destroyed and replaced. Cells in organs completely regrown and organs regenerated. **

**Doctor Notice: Such processes used on said patient have never been used quite to this extent before. Final/overall result unknown. When patient gains consciousness, patient will not be fully recovered. Patient should be given recovery period and will not be admitted from the hospital immediately. Thank you.**

Eclipse smiled and placed the paper down on her desk. This meant one less worry for her, though it had never been first on her mind. She absentmindedly reached for an envelope on her desk, and ripped the carefully sealed flap open, and reached for the paper inside. She began to read, not realizing what it meant at first, and then, her eyes began to widen as she began to pay closer attention.

**IMPORTANT OFFICAL MESSAGE FOR THE BUREAU CHIEF OF THE GALACTIC ORGANIZATION OF TRADE AND TARIFFS. **

**Recently, the Global Union and the Galactic Organization of Trade and Tariffs have suffered from a terrible tragedy. Most of both space fleets were destroyed, countless lives lost, and two very precious ES members are now presumed dead and cannot be rescued. At this time, the Global Union sees that it is in peril of simply collapsing. We cannot hold the same power and authority as we once did. The commoners and the Nouvlesse are battling each other in the ranks of said authority. Many members of important councils have simply quit their work, and have left their positions. Due to this heavy inconvenience, the Global Union will be disbanding in three months. Chief Eclipse, the bureau chief of the Galactic Organization of Trade and Tariffs is now in full control and command of the said Galactic Organization of Trade and Tariffs. Any efforts to disband or continue that branch of government will fall under her jurisdiction. The planets that fall under the control of the Global Union will still be united together under a contract. A central government will be set up on the headquarters on planet Siegfried, the current location of the Global Union council. However, this new government will not be offering any of the features of the Global Union; it will instead simply offer a system for control, justice and economy, on the most basic levels possible. Beyond this established government, the Galactic Organization of Trade and Tariffs no longer falls under the rules and regulations of any power. The Galactic Organization of Trade and Tariffs is at its own law and jurisdiction.**

**This is an official notice from the Global Union Superintendent General. **

Eclipse dropped the letter. It floated through the air, and fell to her desk, sliding slightly. She was momentarily numb, absorbing what she had just read. Then, she panicked. The impact of what she had just read hit her full on. She sprang out of her chair, literally ready to run to the Global Union council and demand explanation for such nonsense. To beat the senses back into the Superintendent General. Instead, calming herself the best she could, she sent an urgent request to speak with the General.

To her surprise, a screen popped open before her. She hadn't really expected him to answer right away. That in itself spelled trouble. That was too unusual to be good news. "S-superintendent," Eclipse managed, realizing she was staring into his face across the screen.

"Chief Eclipse," he said calmly. From Eclipse's face, it was obvious something was wrong. He had a feeling he knew what it was.

"Sir, I just received a…notice from your office, and I…" Eclipse paused. Then her voice grew icy; she merely hissed when she spoke. "What are you thinking? Disbanding the Global Union? Now? It's utterly pointless, foolish, and, quite frankly, stupid."

The Superintendent frowned. "Chief Eclipse," he began.

"Apparently you're not my boss anymore, so you can't object to my use of language, no matter how disrespectful you deem it," she spat.

"Very well, Eclipse. But as I included in my notice, I have…good…reason, though I admit, it's arguable, to be agree to the cessation of all Global Union activities. Note, this was not my decision. The Global Union is a council, and it is a republic. It was a fairly unanimous decision that we cannot hold together our government."

Eclipse snorted. "I read your message. _I _don't think it makes sense. What could be so terribly wrong that you have to _disband the entire Global Union_ because…why? A few squabbling Nouvlesse? A disagreement or two? Is our government so fragile that we cannot hold it together through a few simple arguments?"

"Chief…the Union is in shambles. People are simply leaving the council. Out of fear, out of, yes, anger, out of…who knows? The Nouvlesse _are_ angry, and they intend to do something about it. Global Union property is being attacked by this faceless enemy. Things have been going on in the past month within the ranks of the council that you don't know about. People are convinced the whole galaxy will be destroyed. There are whispers that our enemy was attacking the planet to 'liberate' the Nouvlesse who claim mistreatment. We…"

Eclipse was shaking her head. "What am I going to do, General? You leave me in the dark for a month, while I sit in the quiet and try to make rescue plans for Éclair and Lumiere. I haven't even sent them on actual missions besides scouting the planet. We've been waiting for you, while your government has been falling down around your ears, and…you don't even let me know? Why?"

"Eclipse, I'm sorry. Look, neither of our governments have been working at full capacity. The GOTT is crumbling too, you know it. You just said yourself, that you haven't been using your ES members as needed. The Global Union is falling apart. Look, we may have a chance to rebuild the Global Union, and the disbanding order may be continued in the next three months. We'll have to see how things turn out. Please, bear with us, Eclipse."

Eclipse bowed her head. "Are things really that bad?"

"I'm afraid they are. We're struggling. The Nouvlesse want revenge. They say they've been treated poorly the past fifty years. By the GOTT and the GU. Like I said, someone has whispered to the Nouvlesse that the attack on the planet would have worked in the Nouvlesse's favor by dismantling the commoners. They liked that. They started a movement to totally tear down the Global Union. They're winning."

"They've won."

"They have, but it wasn't just them. Like I said, the population is terrified of that planet. They're convinced it's a threat. There have been riots on Global Union property. Sabotages of Global Union territory by an unknown element."

"I get it," Eclipse muttered. "Well, I guess I'll be holding up the GOTT front, then."

"If you can, yes."

Eclipse frowned. "Well, we must both be getting to our work now. Good bye," she slammed her fingernails down on the console on her desk, and the screen closed. She then slowly stood, and walked over to the window, staring out onto Aineias. Could she?


	9. Chapter 9

Frozen/Fate

_Éclair and Lumiere had grown over the years, but while never aging in appearance, their mind and abilities grew and aged exceptionally well. They had become and official ES team, starting the tradition of ES member working, not alone, but in pairs. They, of most of the ES members, were often the most sought-out. They had grown into G-class agents, with Éclair's powerful ability known simply as Power, bringing energy under her will in any form, from superhuman strength to energy projection. Lumiere not only possessed the power known as Puppet, to bring machines under her control, but Particle. Particle, though use of the ability exhausted her, allowed her to manipulate all forms of matter in the way Éclair controlled energy. _

_While the two were offered jobs now again, there wasn't an official ES member organization. There was a facility for the creation and training of ES members, which was where Éclair, and then later Lumiere's aging processes were stopped. However, it was not there for sending ES members on tasks, like the GOTT would much later be. Instead, private employers sought out ES members and pairs for jobs. Otherwise, Éclair and Lumiere travelled independently. _

_The two witnessed many things together, one of the most tragic, was war. War broke out during this time that started the age of the ES members. Known as the First Limited War, Éclair and Lumiere only saw a terrible glimpse of what the war was like, and were affected by it constantly. Sometimes, they simply heard by news of the destruction. Other times, they were called for a job to assist people during the war. The most horrifying times were when their job was to fight for someone in the war, and, even worse, to walk through a city after the destruction from each battle occurred._

_/_

_The two walked through another city, another casualty of the war. It was completely silent, except for their boots clicking across the empty walks of the city. The buildings were in shambles around them. It was sunset, and the city was bathed in fiery red._

"_Another whole city, wiped out," Éclair commented as they walked among the destruction._

_Lumiere walked slowly beside Éclair. "If there's one thing Earthlings are good at, it's war."_

_Éclair spotted a doll abandoned in the middle of the desolate street. It was an obvious indication that innocent people, children had lived happily in the city until now. Her boot stopped right before it, and she picked up the doll. A look of sadness crossed her face when she realized the significance of the doll. Lumiere realized this also, feeling pity for its owner. It was then that the dolls head dropped off its body onto the ground. Éclair looked startled at first, and then closed her eyes._

"_This isn't Earth."_

_/_

_The war had finally begun to die down, much to the relief of Éclair and Lumiere. It was growing too painful to join in battles and to walk through the aftermath when it was over. But even as things began to calm, new excitement arose for Éclair and Lumiere. There had been rumors of another G-class ES member out there. Éclair and Lumiere had been given word of caution, apparently, the person held an ability known as 'Quant'. Quant was said to have more power than any other ability ever known or dreamed of, supposedly beating even Éclair and Lumiere's 'Power' and 'Particle'._

_Though it was never an official job or goal between the two, they hoped to meet this Quant, as they came to know as. They knew little about Quant, not even the gender of the mysterious person, and it was quite by chance that they finally met this rumored person._

_/_

_They faced off against a powerful-looking woman. She was very tall, and had short blonde hair. Éclair and Lumiere stood in a defensive posture on the other side of a large room, anticipating a fight. The woman was known to be unpredictable, and her ability…_

_Éclair faced her with bravery, though. Smiling at the woman without fear. "So you're the Quant we've been hearing so much about? I didn't expect you to be a woman."_

_The woman looked back at them. She had heard of Éclair and Lumiere, the only ES members that could potentially rival her own ability with their G-class powers. But she wasn't in the mood for talk. With a confident smile, she raised her gloved hand up and at their direction. A circle of light glowed and heightening in lighting at her hand, increasing until it was like a small sun at her palm._

_Lumiere became frightened, not nearly as confident as her partner. "Watch out, I don't like this, Éclair!"_

_/_

_Though the initial meeting with the woman, who later introduced herself to be Eclipse, and not Quant, had turned out into a fight of G-class abilities against another, it ended well. Eclipse came to a draw between them, her power was greater, but it was two against one. They gained a very powerful ally. They did not, at the time, travel with Eclipse as they did each other, they promised to stay in touch by any means necessary, and in time, they built and unusual friendship._


End file.
